Garment bag dispensing device



March 6, 1956 E, LUCAS 2,737,328

GARMENT BAG DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Dec. 23,' 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 uimLI BY INVEN TOR. F/"cm k E L U005 March 6, 1956 LUCAS GARMENT BAGDISPENSING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 25, 1954 INVENTOR. FrankE. L u ca 5 United States Patent flee GARMENT BAG DISPENSING DEVICEFrank E. Lucas, San Francisco, Calif.

Application December 23, 1954, Serial No. 477,339

' 4 Claims. (c1. 226-18) The present invention relates to a garmentbagger and moreparticularly to the type of bag holder and dispenser usedby dry cleaning firms and tailors, and in which the bags are served oneat a time from a supply of them nested one within another.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a devicewhich will conveniently store a number of bags nested together andforming a bag package, yet make the bags instantly available to pulldown one at a time over a garment on a hanger.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which maybe unlocked from its high support and inserted into the aligned holes ofa plurality of the bags.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive device offew parts and one easily assembled with only ordinary tools, and onethat has lightly constructed springs which serve to restrain the slidingdown of the lowest bag after it has left the holder where it has beenstored with other bags. 1

The aboveobjects, together with others which will be apparent from thedrawing and following description or which may be hereinafter referredto may be attained by constructing the device in the manner illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of. the bag holding and dispensingdevice of the present invention as constructed with one form ofsupporting standard.

Figure 2 is a front view of the assembly of Figure 1. Figure 3 is anenlarged detailed view, partly in section, and with parts broken away ofthe bag holding and dispensing device of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a front view of one form of a garment bag which may beemployed with the present invention.

Figure 6 is a front view of another form of garment .bag that is equallyuseful and adapted to be used with the device of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of anothertype of support for the holder portion of the invention.

Figure 8 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of afurther form of support for the holder portion of the invention, and

Figure 9 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of anotherform of the bag holding and dispensing device of the present invention.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing in which like numeralsindicate like parts throughout the several views, in Figures 1 to 4 isseen one form of the invention in which an elongated verticallyextending standard 10 has a flanged lower end 11 seated on a curvedupper end of a frame 12 which is mounted at its lower end on the base13. The standard 10 has its upper end 14 outwardly extending and bentdownward to where it is secured to the cap 15, by welding or othersuitable means. To the overhead support or cap 15 is attached thePatented Mar. 6, 1956 receive the inwardly directed abutments 16 on thecap 15, the tubular member being secured at its lower end to thecircular plate 19 axially thereof. The plate 19 has an outwardly slopingperiphery 21 and is in turn supported on the pole 22 by welding or othermeans, and substantially in the center of the plate. The means; on thelower end of the pole 22 for suspendingly supporting a garment hanger isa hook 25, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hook of a garment hanger26 is received in the hook 25, the hanger 26 carrying a coat 27 forpackaging in the bag indicated by the dotted lines.

A pair of rigid tearing elements are exteriorly of and project inopposed relation from the aforesaid assembly intermediate the endsthereof. As shown in Figure 3,, the tearing elements are a pair ofopposed springs 23, somewhat elongated, and which are rigidly connectedat their inner ends to the pole 22 and extend outwardly and downwardlyat substantially the same outwardly sloping angle as the periphery ofthe plate 19. The outer ends of the springs 23 are inwardly turned as at24, in the direction of the pole 22. a

In Figure 5, a type of bag 29 is illustrated which may be used with theinvention, showing it to have an open end 31 and an aperture or hole 32in the closed end of substantially the same diameter as the tubularmember 18.

In Figure 6 is seen another shape of bag 33 which may be used, this onehaving widely tapering sides, so that they nest more compactly than theform of bag 29, shown above.

Figure 7 shows another type of support for the tubular member 18, inwhich a short length of tubular steel or pipe 34 is secured to the cap15 by welding or other means, and is in turn secured to the bracket 35by similar means, the bracket 35 being anchored by screws 36 to theceiling 37. Figure 8 shows a type of support consisting of a screw eye38 secured in the ceiling 37 and supporting the cap 15 by means of theeye bolt 39. In either case of support, the cap and tubular member, withthe other parts described above may be used, and another type ofstandard 10 may be constructed, the flanged lower end 11 may extend allthe way to the floor 41, and the curved frame 12 may be of other formthan here illustrated, and if made permanent, may be secured by suitablemeans to the wall 42.

In operation, an eighth turn in one direction of thepole portion 21unlocks the tubular member 18 from the cap 15, and the bags are loadedon the tubular member 18 with the plate 19 lightly restraining all ofthem from slipping downwardly. It is understood that the bags used areof extremely light weight, and quite a number of them may be stored onthe tubular member 18 without their weight being enough to falltherefrom. A simple tug downwards on the lowest and innermost one of thenested bags will pull it over the edge of the plate to a position whereit is lightly held by the outspread springs 23, which will hold a singlebag, but will bend inwardly to permit the bag to be pulled over them anddown over the garment.

In Figure 9 is seen another form of the bag holding and. dispensingdevice of the present invention. In this form, the assembly includes atubular member 50 just like the tubular member 18 in the form of Figures1 to '4; and a vertically disposed pole 51 positioned below and inalignment with the tubular member 50- just like the pole 22 of theaforementioned form, the pole 51 being carried by the tubular member 50.On the upper end of the tubular member 50 is a'means for attachmentsembly intermediate the ends thereof is also a pair of rigidopposedtearing elements, such elements being in the form of blades 55 andprojecting exteriorly of {and in opposed relation from the tubularmember 50 adjacent itslowe'r end. Each of the blades 55 has'its upperedge sharpened, as at 56, and slopes upwardly from its point ofprojection from the assembly or tubular member 50. -In operation, adownward pull on the lowest and innermost one of the nested bags willcause the high points of the sharpened edges of the blades 55 topenetrate or sever the adjacent portion of the bag and hence tear thebag along the penetrated point toward the aperture surrounding thetubular member 50.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No.428,175, filed May 7, 1954, now forfeited. :Having thus described theinvention what is new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 1.A garment bag dispensing device comprising an assembly embodying atubular member, a vertically disposed pole positioned below and inalignment with said tubular member and carried by the latter, means onthe upper end of said tubular member for attachment to an overheadsupport, means on the lower end of said pole for suspendingly supportinga garment hanger, and a pair of rigid tearing elements exteriorly of andprojecting in opposed relation from said assembly intermediate the endsthereof, said tearing elements being adapted and arranged to releasablysupport a garment bag having an aperture in its closed upper end andbeing disposed with said tubular member in said aperture.

2. A garment bag dispensing device comprising an assembly embodying atubular member, a vertically disposed pole positioned below and inalignment with said tubular member and carried by the latter, means onthe upper endof said tubular member for attachment to an overheadsupport, means on the lower end of said pole for suspendingly supportinga garment hanger, and a pair of rigid tearing elements embodying bladesexteriorly intermediatethe ends thereof, each of said blades hav ing itsupper edge sharpened and sloping upwardly from its point of projectionfrom said assembly, said blades being adapted and arranged to releasablysupport a garment bag having an aperture in its closed upper end andbeing disposed with said tubular member in said aperture.

3. A garment bag dispensing device comprising a cap, a verticallydisposed pole positioned below and in alignment with said cap, a hook onsaid pole at the lower end thereof, a circular plate having an outwardlysloping periphery secured to said pole at the upper end thereof, atubular member secured at its lower end to saidplate axially thereof,said cap and said tubular member having cooperating means for releasablysecuring said tubular member to said cap, and a pair of rigid tearingelements embodying outwardly sloping elongated springs secured by oneend of each to opposite sides of said pole at the upper end thereof,said springs having their other ends bent inwardly in the direction ofsaid pole, said plate and said springs being adapted and arranged toreleasably support a garment bag having an aperture in its closed upperend and being disposed with said tubular member in said aperture.

4. A garment bag dispensing device comprising a cap,

1 by one end of each to opposite sides of said pole at the upper endthereof, said springs having their other ends bent inwardly in thedirection of said pole, said plate and said springs being adapted andarranged to releasably support'a garment bag having an aperture in itsclosed upper end and being disposed with said tubular member in-saidaperture, and support means for said cap arranged to be secured to anoverhead surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS1,908,983 Kabat May 16, 1933 2,618,422 Marchionda Nov. 18, 1 9522,628,755

Marchionda Feb. 17, 1 9 53

